


Southpaw

by Khafushun



Category: The Hobbit (Jackson Movies), The Hobbit - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Archery, Corporal Punishment, Fíli-centric, Gen, Hunting, Left-handed character, Prejudice, Tags May Change
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-13
Updated: 2015-03-13
Packaged: 2018-03-17 16:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 909
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3536390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Khafushun/pseuds/Khafushun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Everyone knew that Fíli was going to be an archer just like his father someday. There was no question about it: Fíli was left-handed, and that's simply what left-handed dwarves <em>did.</em> </p>
<p>So it was a bit of a shock when things didn't quite work out that way.</p>
<p>This is the story of why Fíli chose a different path, and how he came to wield <em>two</em> swords instead of one.</p>
<p>  <em>(Features a positive relationship between Fíli and Thorin!)</em></p>
            </blockquote>





	Southpaw

**Author's Note:**

> So I had a last-minute idea for the Feels for Fíli contest over on tumblr. Unfortunately I haven't managed to finish it in time, but I figured it was better to support the contest with a short piece rather than nothing at all :)
> 
> Just a few warnings! First, there's a hunting scene in this chapter, so if you're an animal lover you may want to skip this. I don't think it's TOO graphic, but it might be difficult for some people. I also want to warn for implied canonical character death, but I promise that doesn't apply to Fíli or any of the characters mentioned in the book/films.
> 
> I think that's it! Yay Fíli! :D

The forest is quiet save for the leaves that crunch underneath Fíli's boots as he walks heel to toe, ever so carefully, just as his father has taught him. His eyes dart frantically, up down, left right, for even the slightest sign of movement, and the hand that grips his bow is slick. He's looking for rabbits. Or maybe squirrels, but his father said those would be harder to kill.

_Kill._ Because that's what he's set out to do today. This is his first hunt, and at the end of it, some creature will be dead because of him. He isn't sure if the thought terrifies or excites him.

His father is a reassuring presence at his back, keeping a slight distance but ever watchful. Vali is a hunter, perhaps the best in all of Ered Luin, and Fíli is going to be just like him. That's what everyone expects, after all.

And so what if the bow doesn't feel quite right in his hand, or that his younger brother – who's supposedly too young to use a weapon at all – out-shoots him nine times out of ten. Using a bow means spending more time with Vali, and that is what Fíli wants more than anything.

Up ahead, Fili sees a fat hare hop out from underneath the underbrush, its nose twitching. As quietly as he can, Fíli grabs an arrow, lines it up, and aims.

He shoots.

* * *

Fíli bags a rabbit in the end, though it takes him several tries. Now his father has started a fire, and he's about to show Fíli how to clean his kill.

“I think Kíli is going to be angry with me,” Fíli says, watching as his father holds the rabbit by the loose skin of its neck and begins to cut. He flinches, but forces himself not to look away. “I promised I wouldn't kill any rabbits.”

Vali laughs, and Fíli watches with wide eyes as his father tears the fur from the pink body underneath. “Better you than me,” Vali says cheerfully, in a tone somewhat at odds with the fact that he's holding a warm carcass in his hands. “Your brother has been cryin' all week about how he wanted to go on this hunt with you. Not sure if he's _ever_ gonna forgive me.”

“Why couldn't he come?” Fili asks. “He's a better shot than me.”

“Too young,” Vali says simply, apparently content to leave it at that. “Now watch this; gotta be careful with this cut – too deep and you'll pierce the innards. You don't want that.”

Fíli holds his breath. He's not sure what he wants, really.

But in the end it's all right; there is blood, yes, but Fíli keeps his wits about him – though he shouts in mock outrage when Vali tips the steaming entrails out onto the leaves near his feet. “These are good boots!” he roars, but they're still clean, and even if they hadn't been he probably wouldn't have minded.

It's some time later, after they've cooked the rabbit and eaten, that Vali turns to Fíli and clears his throat. “Truth is, son,” he begins with an uncharacteristically timid voice, “this hunt has been long overdue.”

“I know,” Fíli mumbles, and his shame is palpable. “I haven't been good enough.”

“That's not it,” Vali says, with only a hint of aggravation. “You're a fine shot for a dwarf your age. Don't compare yourself to your brother, he's...”

“Fantastic?”

“I was going to say 'peculiar',” Vali admits with a sheepish grin, “although of course I mean it in a good way.”

Fíli grins, although he can't find it in him to laugh. His brother certainly has his idiosyncrasies, but no one – and Kíli least of all – truly cares about that. He's just a child, after all. A child, and yet he's already so sure about what he wants. Fíli wishes he possessed that same conviction.

“Anyway,” Vali mutters awkwardly, “the hunt. We're doin' this now and not sooner because... well, it just seems like your heart's not in it. Kíli loves the bow, anyone can see that, but you want something else.”

“No I don't,” Fíli says, too quickly to be very convincing. He attempts a smile. “I've liked hunting with you. Going to the range...”

“But you don't like the bow,” Vali says quietly, and sighs heavily. “Listen, I know those dwarves from Erebor say there's no honor in the bow, but it's a suitable weapon for the likes you and me.” Vali raises his left hand almost sheepishly, and sets it down again. It's a quick movement, but Fíli knows exactly what he means: they are both dwarves who favor their unlucky hand, and they will never be swordsmen.

Fíli knows this, and he's known it for a long time, but his heart falls all the same. He hears his father talk about how bows put food on the table, how they kill just as well as any sword or axe – “Learned that today, didn't we?” Vali jokes – but all he can manage is a weak smile.

He doesn't want to use a bow. He doesn't like shooting. But he sees his father's tight smile and the worried lines around his eyes, so Fíli stretches his smile wider and this time it almost feels like he means it. He doesn't love the bow, but he loves his father.

So, he looks forward to their next hunt.

But it will never happen.

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry to end this on such an ominous note D: I'll try to have the next two parts up quickly, but I'm the world's slowest writer so we'll see :/
> 
> Fun fact: I've seen a few people make comparisons between Fíli and Prince William. Guess who's left-handed? Prince William :)
> 
> (And me, ha.)


End file.
